Fallen Arches
Fallen Arches is the eighth episode of Season 2 and the overall twenty-first episode of The Venture Bros. Plot Dr. Orpheus receives his long-awaited approval from the Guild of Calamitous Intent for an arch-villain. However, the approval is for a team which long ago disbanded, forcing him to hastily reassemble The Order of the Triad with former teammates Jefferson Twilight and The Alchemist. The Monarch, meanwhile, invites a prostitute over and makes her dress like Dr. Girlfriend, then sends her through a treacherous maze in order to escape The Cocoon. Henchman 21 and 24 embark on a scheme to pass themselves off as supervillains using forged licenses and stolen jet-packs. However, their trial attempts are unsuccessful due to their failed handling of their equipment. The Order of the Triad hold interviews for their arch-nemesis, causing a large group to amass on the Venture compound in order to audition. Dr. Venture, jealous of the attention Orpheus is getting, takes out a mostly non-functional Walking Eye robot and washes it (in a scene reminiscent of the car washing girl "Lucille" in ''Cool Hand Luke''), baiting the amassed supervillains into causing havoc. Told to entertain Triana, Dean Venture stages a poor performance of Lady Windermere's Fan with Brock Samson. However, Hank notices a foul smell in the bathroom left by a supervillain using the toilet; when the teens investigate, Triana disappears in a puff of smoke. The Order ultimately gives the archvillain position to demonic Australian supervillain Torrid, who impressed them by kidnapping Triana. Episode Cast * James Urbaniak: Dr. Venture * Patrick Warburton: Brock Samson * Michael Sinterniklaas: Dean Venture * [[Jackson Publick|'Chris McCulloch']]: Hank Venture, The Monarch, Henchman 24, Watch, Torrid, Additional Voices * [[Doc Hammer|'Doc Hammer']]: Henchman 21, Ward, Lady Au Pair, Additional Voices * [[wikipedia:Steven Rattazzi|'Steven Rattazzi']]: Dr. Orpheus * [[wikipedia:Charles Parnell|'Charles Parnell']]: Jefferson Twilight * [[wikipedia:Dana Snyder|'Dana Snyder']]: The Alchemist * [[wikipedia:Lisa Hammer|'Lisa Hammer']]: Triana Orpheus * [https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0375495/ Nina Hellman]: Prostitute "Villain Screening" After Dr. Orpheus receives a video from The Guild of Calamitous Intent informing him of a "villain screening" that afternoon, The Order of the Triad hold tryouts at the Venture Compound for their own Guild-certified archvillain. Amongst the hopefuls are: * Bearded Spectre * Chairman Wao * Curse * Hammerhead Abomination * Hate-Bit * Lady Au Pair (Dr. Girlfriend with her Murderous Moppets, Tim-Tom and Kevin) * Mommy Longlegs * Plug Face Guy * Rick Danger * Sergeant Hatred * Torrid * The Intangible Fancy * Truckules * Unnamed Balding Villain * Unnamed Cowboy Villain * Unnamed Fishman Villain * Unnamed Villain in Bird Costume * Unnamed Villain in Scuba Gear First Appearances * Curse * Hammerhead Abomination * Jefferson Twilight * Prostitute * Sergeant Hatred * The Alchemist * Torrid * Unnamed Balding Villain * Unnamed Cowboy Villain * Unnamed Villain in Bird Costume * Unnamed Villain in Scuba Gear Connections to Other Episodes [[Eeney, Meeney, Miney... Magic!|''Eeney, Meeney, Miney... Magic!]] * Dr. Orpheus first appeared in [[Eeney, Meeney, Miney... Magic!|''Eeney, Meeney, Miney... Magic!]] [[The Trial of the Monarch|'The Trial of The Monarch']] * The Sovereign first appeared in The Trial of The Monarch. * Phantom Limb states that he recognizes Dr. Orpheus and that he has filed with the Guild fives time to get an arch-rival. He tells Orpheus, who is under hypnotic suggestion, that they'll get him a new arch-rival once The Monarch is put away. [[A Very Venture Christmas|''A Very Venture Christmas]] * Dr. Venture previously had a conversation about Walking Eyes ("spider-bots") during [[A Very Venture Christmas|''A Very Venture Christmas]]. Cultural References [[wikipedia:A.I.D.S.|'A.I.D.S.']] * The Alchemist is looking for a cure for A.I.D.S. [[wikipedia:Aquaman|'Aquaman']] * Jefferson Twilight and Dr. Orpheus have a conversation about Aquaman, debating whether he has a secret identity. [[wikipedia:Aqua Teen Hunger Force|'Aqua Teen Hunger Force']]' (2000-2015) * The Rabbot from Aqua Teen Hunger Force can be heard in the background during the scene where Torrid is introduced. [[wikipedia:Blade (comics)|'Blade']] * Jefferson Twilight is partially based on the Marvel Comics superhero Blade, a vampire hunter with vampiric traits. [[wikipedia:Black Manta|'Black Manta']] * Dr. Orpheus mentions that Aquaman fights Black Manta. [[wikipedia:Blackula|'Blackula''']] (1972)' * Jefferson Twilight is partially based on the lead from the horror film ''Blackula. * Jefferson Twilight exclusively hunts "blackulas" (black vampires), primarily in the United State and England. [[wikipedia:Cool Hand Luke|'Cool Hand Luke']]' (1967)' * The scene where Dr. Venture washes his Walking Eye robot to entice the Guild hopefuls is a direct reference to the 1967 film Cool Hand Luke, in which a busty blonde washes her car to tantalize the members of the chain gang. The final shot of this sequence parallels the final shot of the car wash scene, where the girl's large breasts are rubbing against the window of the car. [[wikipedia:Deadman|'Deadman']] * Torrid's appearance is partially based on DC Comics' Deadman. [[wikipedia:Deep Red|'Deep Red']]' (1975)' * The scene where Hank and Dean find the clue on the bathroom mirror is in reference to the Dario Argento giallo movie Deep Red. [[wikipedia:Dormammu|'Dormammu']] * Torrid's appearance is partially based on Marvel Comics' Dormammu. [[Wikipedia:Double Dare (1986 game show)|'Double Dare']]' (1986-1993)' * The costumes The Monarch's henchmen wear were stolen from the children's game show Double Dare. [[wikipedia:Francis Dolarhyde|'Francis Dolarhyde']]' (Red Dragon)'' * The Monarch's discourse and back tattoo of a Minotaur are direct parodies of the killer Francis Dolarhyde from the Thomas Harris novel Red Dragon and its 2002 film adaptation. The tattoo also appears to be fake, washing off in the shower. [[wikipedia:Here I Go Again|'Here I Go Again]]'' (1987) * While attempting to give Dean the "sex talk", Dr. Venture discusses the 1987 video for "Here I Go Again" by Whitesnake (not White Lion, as Dean incorrectly guesses) as well as lead singer David Coverdale's relationship with actress Tawny Kitaen, who appeared in the video. [[wikipedia:James Bond|'James Bond']] * Brock Samson says he loves killing in a tuxedo because it makes him feel like James Bond. A musical sting reminiscent of one from a Bond film then plays. [[wikipedia:Jet Boy, Jet Girl|'Jet Boy, Jet Girl']]' (1977)' * Henchman 21 wants to name his new supervillain duo with Henchman 24 "Jetboy and Jetgirl" after the Elton Motello song, which he notes was covered by The Damned. 24 responds they should call themselves "The Damned", as it is a much cooler name. [[wikipedia:Johnny Got His Gun|'Johnny Got His Gun']]' (1939) * Hank's statement about Triana's smoldering remains banging out "kill me" in Morse code is likely a reference to the 1939 anti-war novel and 1971 anti-war film Johnny Got His Gun. [[wikipedia:Jonny Quest (TV series)|'Jonny Quest''']] (1964-1965)' * The Walking Eye robot that was created by Dr. Venture is based on the 1964 ''Jonny Quest ''episode, "The Robot Spy". The original version was created by Quest family nemesis Dr. Zin, the basis for Guild villain Dr. Z. * A robot similar to the Walking Eye can also be seen in the opening credits of the first season of ''The Venture Bros., just as the original version appeared in the opening credits of Jonny Quest. [[wikipedia:Lady Windermere's Fan|'Lady Windermere's Fan']]' (1892)' * The play that Dean stages for Triana is Lady Windermere's Fan, an 1892 play by Oscar Wilde. Wilde would later be seen as one of the original members of The Guild in the season 3 episode O.R.B. [[wikipedia:Lost (TV series)|'Lost']]' (2004-2010)' * The Monarch's maze features the polar bear from the television series Lost. * In the episode's commentary, Jackson Publick claimed that Torrid's voice was taken from Lost, and that the fake Australian accent failed to impress series composer J.G. Thirlwell, himself an Australian. [[wikipedia:Mary Poppins (film)|'Mary Poppins']]' (1964)' * Dr. Girlfriend's "Lady Au Pair" costume is loosely based on an outfit worn by Julie Andrews in the classic 1964 musical fantasy film Mary Poppins, particularly the hat with the flowers on it''.'' [[wikipedia:Mordru|'Mordru']] * Curse, the supervillain the Order of the Triad challenges using magic, appears to be a reference to DC villain Mordru, a recurring enemy in the Legion of Superheroes comic books. [[wikipedia:|'Nightcrawler']] * When Torrid teleports away from the bathroom he leaves behind the horrid stench of brimstone, like the teleporting mutant Nightcrawler from The X-Men. [https://www.orpheus.com.au/ Orpheus Island] * Torrid kidnaps Triana Orpheus and takes her to Orpheus Island, a real-life resort island on the Great Barrier Reef that Dr. Orpheus happens to own. [[wikipedia:Pyro (comics)|'Pyro']] * Torrid's vaguely Australian accent seems to be modeled after Pyro from X-Men: The Animated Series. [[wikipedia:Rochambeau|'Ro-Sham-Bo']]' / Rochambeau' * Jefferson Twilight mentions Ro-Sham-Bo, which leads into a discussion of rock-paper-scissors, the French general Rochambeau, and food manufacturer Franco-American. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Shaft Shaft] * Jefferson Twilight is partially based on the blaxploitation movie protagonist Shaft. [[wikipedia:Splash (film)|'Splash']]' (1984)' * Triana Orpheus tells her father she put the fantasy romantic comedy Splash on his Netflix list because she wanted to see it again. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philosopher%27s_stone Philosopher's Stone] * Jefferson Twilight asks The Alchemist if he's still searching for the Philosopher's Stone, the fabled alchemical substance capable of turning base metals such as mercury into gold or silver. The Alchemist says that the Philosopher's Stone is a metaphor for enlightenment, so in a sense he's always in pursuit of it. [[wikipedia:Tales of the Gold Monkey|'Tales of the Gold Monkey']]' (1982-1983)' * The names listed on Henchman 21 and Henchman 24's respective fake Guild licenses, Jake Cutter and Corky Craptucker, are references to the two main characters from the short-lived television series Tales of the Gold Monkey. (The name "Craptucker" was probably invented by Henchman 21, as Corky's surname is not revealed on the 1980s television series.) [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Pit_and_the_Pendulum The Pit and the Pendulum]' (1842)' * The Monarch recites a paragraph from Edgar Allan Poe's The Pit and the Pendulum''as the prostitute is making her way beneath a row of swinging blades on pendulums. [[wikipedia:Theseus|'Theseus']]' / Minotaur' * The Monarch references the ancient Greek myth of the hero Theseus confronting the monstrous Minotaur in his monologue to the unnamed prostitute in the Cocoon. [[wikipedia:Turtle Wax|'Turtle Wax']] * The Monarch mentions Turtle Wax, a liquid wax product used to protect automobile exteriors by providing a "hard shell finish". ''[[wikipedia:Vampire in Brooklyn|'Vampire in Brooklyn']]' (1995)' * The scene where Jefferson Twilight fights blackulas in the New York City subway is likely a reference to the 1995 Eddie Murphy film Vampire in Brooklyn. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Watchman_(law_enforcement) Watchmen (law enforcement)] * The names of Guild sentries Watch and Ward are mentioned in this episode for the first time in the series. Their names are a play on the "watch" and "ward," the rudimentary system of local law enforcement established by writ of King Henry III in 1252 and reformed by King Edward I in the Statute of Winchester (1285) - the "watch" describing the nightly duties of the constabulary, and the "ward" describing the daylight duties. [https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/What%27s_My_Line%3F '''What's My Line?']'' (1950-1967) * The Monarch tells the unnamed prostitute that one of the doors might have "a year's supply of Turtle Wax" behind it, which was famously a prize given to winning contestants on the televised game show What's My Line? Production Notes * One of the animation directors (Kimson Albert) has "nickname" inserted into his credits. The nickname is an unusual line or word from the preceding episode. For Fallen Arches the credit reads Kimson "Rochambeau" Albert. Category:The Venture Bros. episodes Category:2006 television episodes Category:Episodes Category:Season 2